Thursday, 19 April 2012

Dandelions are taking over the world!!!

The combination of sunshine and showers has launched the
Dandelion into a bid for world domination.

Their smiling faces are brightening up grass verges and
roundabouts through out South Leicestershire.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is
very fond of people, congregating in lawns and veg plots trying to get noticed.

It’s their indestructible nature that appeals, it shows
strength of character. This feisty little plant is known as a weed, (which is
just another name for a plant in the wrong place) but I think it should be
celebrated and re-named ‘a good do-er’. This was a term my Grandad gave to his favorite Dahlias but surely they share the same qualities, endless cheerful
flowers a striking leaf shape and beautifully delicate seed heads.

The Dandelion has even more to offer though, it is a healing
plant with an astonishing list of medicinal qualities. Dandelion is a nutritious
spring green high in vitamins and minerals especially potassium. It is a bitter
tasting plant which means it is good for your digestion, activating digestive
juices and promoting a healthy appetite. Herbalists use both the leaf and the
root as medicine and can be used either separately or together. When combined
with Nettle, Burdock and Cleavers (Sticky weed) you have a fantastic spring
tonic.

The root is mainly used to treat the liver and gently helps
a sluggish digestion, skin problems, hormonal imbalances and headaches to name
just a few. The leaves are beneficial to the kidneys with their diuretic
qualities reducing excess fluid, therefore helping to reduce high blood
pressure. It can help swollen ankles, eczema, acne, arthritis and also
strengthens the urinary system, the list is endless. So rather than reach for
the herbicide or the flame thrower why not make use of these helpful herbs.

As always, if you feel the need to forage for Dandelions or
other friendly hedgerow goodies please make sure you identify the plants
carefully. Always check in a plant identification book before you harvest your
herbs to make sure you are munching on the right plant.

Oh, and it’s also good manners to ask the plant first if you
can take a few leaves or flowers, a thank you is good too!

Herbal Spring Clean Vinegar

This herbal vinegar includes:

Dandelion (obviously)

Cleavers or Sticky weed (Galium
aparine)

Nettle (Urtica diocia)

Apple Cider Vinegar

You will need a 1 liter or ½ liter Kilner jar, or a glass
jar with a lid that clips down. A jar with a plastic lid will be OK, but no
metal lids, as the vinegar corrodes metal!

This medicinal vinegar is a fantastic spring tonic. It is
cleansing due to its action on the digestion and nourishing because it is
bursting with vitamins and minerals. Nettle is also a great nutritious and
cleansing herb and Cleavers is especially good for the lymphatic system
enhancing the removal of toxins and the cleansing process.

Once you have identified your herbs and gathered them from a
herbicide and dog free area you are ready to go.

Fill the glass jar or container with the chopped
herb and pour on the apple cider vinegar, give it a poke and leave in a cool
dark place for 2-3 weeks. When the time comes strain off the herbs, bottle your
herbal vinegar in sterilized bottles (with plastic lids remember) and label.

You can take 5mls (1 teaspoon) of the vinegar in a glass of
water as a ‘spring clean’ tonic to promote a healthy digestion and a clear
skin. You can use it in salad dressing and even a hair rinse for strong, shiny hair.